


Vacanze Romane

by Valsnotebook



Category: Supernatural
Genre: AU, Alternate Universe - Human, Angst, Destiel - Freeform, M/M, Romance, Set in Rome, Slow Build, Smut, Starcrossed Love, alternative universe, dean needs to relax, italian!castiel, slight angst, will add more tags
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2016-09-07
Updated: 2017-07-08
Packaged: 2018-08-13 14:39:09
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 3
Words: 15,056
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/7980268
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Valsnotebook/pseuds/Valsnotebook
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>After Dean had a mental break down while working, Sam convinced him to go on a holiday, far away from the United States and his problems. Dean wanted Sam to come too, but he's left alone at last minute. The idea of going through the planned holiday by himself terrifies him, until he meets a guy who seems to be happy to help him. Maybe he'll finally be able to take it easy and appreciate what life has to offer.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. When in Rome

Rome, 15th August 2016

 

“We are now arriving in Fiumicino Airport, Rome. Please, stay seated until...”

 

 

Dean was tired. So tired from the flight. He still couldn't believe how anyone could possibly sit through 12 hours on a plane. Two planes, actually: one from San Francisco to Chicago, and then one to Rome. At some point he was too tired to even remember his fear of planes. The only luck he had was sitting next the window and have the seat next to him empty. There was a middle aged lady on the seat right after, but she slept and read for most of the flight.

After landing, the plane took a while before stopping. Moving on the ground made him more comfortable, as he stared at the people wearing those orange reflective jackets walking around. It was the first time he'd gone out of the U.S., and even though he'd heard Italians talking, he yet had to enter a whole different country with completely different people.

He waited a while before standing up, the doors weren't going to open right away; he hated waiting in the hallway all strained between people with their bags who were in some kind of hurry to get out.

When the queue started moving, he quickly grabbed his backpack and made his way out of the scary machine. Mumbled a 'bye' to the hostess, and stepped outside.

 

Hot.

So hot.

He could physically feel the wet air choking him.

For a second he thought he wasn't going to breathe, but then he remembered he'd been in air conditioning places for more than 15 hours, and of course humidity would make him pay for that.

Thank goodness, the gate was right next the airport, and he didn't have to take the little bus. He didn't want to spend more time than necessary with those people.

Apparently, he was forced to anyway, since he had to wait almost half an hour to 'collect his luggage'. He was tired, hungry, in need of a shower and he knew he still had to get to the hotel.

He was tempted to get a taxi, but it was 50€ ride against a 8€ train ticket. So he dragged his bag through half the airport. He was walking on automatic, only caring about the directions to the trains. He still noticed some young people chatting that looked very excited. None of them looked like they were travelling, but they weren't in a working uniform either. They were small groups with people wearing the same plastic bracelets.

_Maybe there's some kind of event._

 

When he arrived at the train station (how crazy is that to find in an airport, anyway), he looked at the timetable and saw the train he needed to take was about to take off in 4 minutes, and for the next one he'd have to wait half an hour. He managed to buy the ticket at the machine, and a lady told him how to obliterate it. Now he had only a minute left, but at least the train was the one on the platform right in front of him. With a nervous pace he got on the train, and very very gladly discovered that the seats on the ground floor were all taken, so he moved everything upstairs, where instead there was almost no one. The seats were organized in groups of four, two in front of other two, so there wasn't much space where to put the the the suitcase. Instead, right near the stairs and next to the wall there were three seats aligned in front of the other two, so the one next to the stairs had free space in front of it.

He chose to sit there, before realizing that there was a guy already sitting on the seat next the window. By then it was too late to move, but he didn't care too much and the guy didn't seem to either.

Three girls went upstairs as well, laughing and talking like they had just drunk pure adrenaline. He noticed they were wearing the infamous dark green plastic bracelet.

The train started moving right after, and Dean tried to get more comfortable in the seat, slightly spreading his legs and resting his head against the wall, even though it trembled a little.

The girls kept talking, and he saw them passing each other what looked like printed photos, and they were probably commenting them, almost screaming.

 

The other guy was watching them too, and at some point he blurt out.

“Chissà che avranno mai visto di così eccitante.”

 

Dean turned his head to him and took more time to actually see what the guy looked like: he was probably younger, but very beautiful. He was wearing tight jeans, Vans, and had a blue t-shirt that matched his eyes. He had a shaved face and dark hair that had clearly seen a long day. He had put his feet on the seat in front of him, had a little suitcase on the side, and was listening to music with ear phones that must have not covered the girls' voices.

Then he remembered the guy was probably talking to him, because now he was staring at him as well, so he roughly said.

“Sorry, what?”

Man, he had not spoken for too long. His throat was almost sore from speaking without any warning. The other guy looked surprised, and then spoke again, with a more concentrated expression on his face.

 

“I'm sorry, I thought you were italian.” He looked unsure, like he didn't know if he should keep talking or not. Dean wasn't giving his best vibe at the moment, and tried to smile to put the other guy at ease. It required a lot of strength he thought he didn't have at that point, but he successfully managed to anyway.

“No worries.”

 

The guy smiled and returned his attention to the phone in his hands. Dean still wanted to know what he had said, but it evidently wasn't that important if he didn't translate it. And it didn't take a language genius to understand it was a bland comment about the girls, who were now talking more normally.

Dean looked at the guy again, and silently appreciated the figure. He seemed of average height, fit, and maybe a little bit tired as well. He suddenly wanted to learn more about him, but he didn't know how. You don't just start conversations with strangers. The guy was about to turn his head, so Dean quickly looked away, and checked the time on his watch, which wasn't the actual time, in Italy anyway. So he took his phone and started to move the watch's hands. When he finished, he heard the guy's voice again. It was strangely low, but also very nice.

“Where are you from?” He spoke each word like he was reading from a book for the first time. The accent wasn't bad, though.

“I'm from San Francisco, California.” He wasn't really, that was just the city he had been living in the past few years, but he didn't need to share that.

The guy's face lit up.

“San Francisco? That's so cool. I've always wanted to go there. Or any other place in America in general.”

The guy seemed genuinely interested, even though he probably lived in freaking Rome.

“Yeah, it's a great place i guess. What about you?”

“I've always lived in Rome. I traveled a little, but never outside Europe.”

 

If Dean had been smart and at his full potential, he could have asked where the guy had been to keep the conversation going. He was enjoying having that weird connection with him. But he was tired and slow, and when he considered asking, the guy had already gone back to his phone. So he instead looked out of the windows, and noticed it had been a mainly natural view for some time now.

A terrible doubt crossed his mind for the first time.

“This train is going to Rome, right?”

The guy took out one of his earplug for the first time, smiled and answered: “Yes. Fiumicino is out of town, and this is the regional train. It passes through some small towns and then enters Rome. What stop are you getting off?”

 

Dean took a folder from his backpack and read what was written on the first paper.

“Tu..scolana?”

“Oh, me too.” The guy was now looking at the papers resting on his lap.

“What is that?”

Dean didn't know if he wanted to answer honestly, he was afraid to result stupid.

 

_What the hell, I'm never seeing him again._

 

“That's my plan for the holiday. I mean, my brother searched everything on internet and made a detailed plan for the next days, so that it would get some stress off the actual journey. He printed everything and sent a copy on my mail as well.”

He didn't underline the stress part too much, even though it was the reason he was in Italy in the first place.

“That was so smart. But he didn't come with you...?”

“No, he was supposed to, but he had to cancel last minute. He's a lawyer, and a job came up, too important to refuse. He's at the beginning of his career, he needs it.”  
“Of course. That's too bad, though, it looks like he really put a lot of effort. May I look at it?”

 

Dean handed him the folder, not sure why the guy would want to.

He saw him scanning through the pages, quickly reading everything he was going to do as a tourist. He seemed actually interested.

“Your brother did a wonderful job. I would suggest not to use this many buses when you're in the city center. You can easily walk from one place to another and appreciate the city at the same time.”

 

Had it been anybody saying this, Dean would have told the person to mind their own business.

But this guy looked like he really cared, and with those blue eyes Dean couldn't get mad even if he wanted to.

“Thanks man, I'll look at the map and see what seems more convenient.”

“No problem. Also, I'd go to the... uhm, Musei Vaticani on a weekday, so you don't have to wait too much to get in. There's always a long line.”

Dean nodded, and took the folder back. He really wanted to keep talking, but his head was hurting too much and even speaking was an effort. He adjusted himself to a more comfortable-

 

 

 

A hand gripped his shoulder, and he jumped in his seat. Then he realized it was the guy jerking him awake. He glared at the watch: he had fallen asleep for almost 15 minutes.

Great.

“Next stop is Tuscolana.” Told him the guy, and he felt grateful and wanted to thank him, but he wasn't that awake yet.

Following the guy's actions, he grabbed his stuff and started to go downstairs, positioning himself near the doors. The train stopped, and he got off right after the guy. He didn't know his name, and now he never would. Their shared journey had just ended.

 

He followed him out of the station, keeping a distance. He didn't want to make it look like he was doing it on purpose, it wasn't his fault they were heading the same way. And yes, the guy was also nice to look at. Even from behind.

 

_I need to find the subway._

 

Yes, because if the train wasn't enough already, he still needed to take the tube for a few stops and then another bus. The hotel they had chosen was a four stars one, but far from the city centre. They didn't have infinite money, and decided to prefer comfort over short distance.

The train guy had stopped and had turned around, almost looking like he was waiting for him. Was he?

Dean didn't know, so he kept walking toward him, but acting casual at the same time.

“If you want, I could show you to the metro. Your hotel is in my neighborhood, actually, so we could go together. But I didn't want to tell you because I didn't want to impose myself on you.”

 

Dean wanted to kiss him out of gratitude. _Only gratitude_ _._ The idea of figuring out from the map where to go was about to make him throw up.

 

“Yes, thank you. That'd be great.”

And so they started walking on the streets. Dean noticed a lot of traffic and some people walking by. There were mostly buildings with apartments or shops. After 10 minutes they arrived at the Ponte Lungo station, and went downstairs. Dean saw the guy sprinting to some machines, and when he was about to reach him, the guy was already back and handed him a ticket, smiling a little.

Dean smiled back, took the ticket and made a mental note to pay the guy as soon as they were on the tube. They passed through the turnstiles, and took the tube. The guy must have noticed how tired he was, because he had an almost sympathetic look on his face. Dean wasn't offended, though. Had there been Sam with him, he would have reacted better to the travel, but being all by himself on the plane, he had to hold on to every inch of his own strenght.

They got off the tube at the same stop, and exit the station. The bus stop was on the same pavement, and the guy pointed it to Dean. He was about to head there, when he caught the guy whispering

“Or I could give you a ride.”

He wasn't sure, though, so he turned around and asked “What?”

“I... I know I'm a total stranger, and so you are to me, but you seem very tired so I thought I could give you a ride to the hotel. I have parked my car here.”

 

Dean considered the offer. It was tempting. So tempting. But it was a risk, there were all kinds of possibilities. Who was that guy, really?

So he just answered.

“I don't even know your name.”

Which was a bit rude, because the guy was offering his car and seemed _really_ nice, but still, how could he trust him?

 

“I'm Castiel”

The guy- _Castiel_ offered his hand, and Dean immediately shook it.

“Dean.”

 

The should have done this, like, an hour ago. But now was okay too, and Castiel's hand was good to touch. Without exchanging any other word, they both set out to where Castiel had parked his car.

 

It wasn't anything special. Some italian car he didn't even know, nothing compared to his Impala, but thankfully he had the regard not to say anything. Castiel put their suitcases in the back, and nodded at Dean to tell him he could sit in the meantime. On the inside, the car was clean and tidy. He noticed a rosary hanging from the front mirror.

_Religious nut_ , he thought. He hoped Castiel wasn't going to lecture him, and then he would never see him again, so the little cross there shouldn't bother him.

He knew most of italians were Catholic, but he didn't expect to come to terms with that so soon.

He heard Castiel opening the door and adjusting in the driver's seat. They looked at each other and he gave Dean a shy smile, so small and simple that made Dean smile back, forgetting about the recent discover.

Castiel started the car and turned on the radio.

“Do you mind the music?”He remembered to ask, and Dean nodded a no; the volume was low and the mostly unknown songs helped him fall asleep a second time.

 

He woke up when Castiel stopped at a red light.

_Shit, I can't keep falling asleep with this guy_.

“I'm sorry, man.” he mumbled, and Castiel softly laughed.

“Don't worry, although I did hope to have some company.” Dean snorted, and sit straight. He could do it.

“Then let's talk a little. Where did you go?”

“I went to visit my cousin Baldassare in London. He moved there last year, and I hadn't had the opportunity to see him since.”

“Wow, Castiel, Baldassarre... is it me or your family has some weird name choices?”

He immediately bit his tongue for saying that.

_He's been so nice, and I repay him by offending him_.

 

But Castiel laughed instead.

“Actually, we are the only two who are unlucky. My brother's name is Gabriele, my sister's name is Anna, and my other cousin's name is Michele. All these name were originally biblical ones, but are now very common in Italy, I don't know if worldwide too. Instead, my parents thought of choosing something different, and since I was born on a thursday, they chose Castiel, the angel of Thursdays. It's not even on the Bible, but more like a traditional minor angel. Similiar thing happened to Baldassarre.”

Dean was glad Castiel felt so comfortable sharing personal facts. He looked like he didn't mind, so Dean decided to keep going.

“And I see you're the religious type too?” He half asked, pointing at the rosary.

“Well, I... yes.” he answered lightly.

“I mean, yes I am.”

“Don't worry _Cas_ , your English's more than fine.”

 

Castiel's smile grew wider while he kept his eyes on the road, and Dean was glad he achieved that.

He was also glad he could sometimes stare at him without him noticing.

When Castiel pulled over, Dean almost made a moan of disappointment. Almost.

He could still get a grip of himself.

He didn't know why, but he felt like he wanted to know Castiel more, to know what he was going to do as soon as he left Dean at the hotel. But Castiel got out of the car, so Dean could only do the same. Castiel was already unloading his luggage from the trunk, of course he was. He should have been faster, because now it looked like he expected him to act this way.

 

“Thanks, Cas. You shouldn't have” he tried, taking his bag from Castiel's hands.

“Don't worry.”

“No, I mean it. You didn't have to do any of this, but honestly... I'm glad you did. And grateful. So thank you.”

“You're welcome, and... it was my pleasure, really.”

Now they were standing in close, with Dean's bag between them, and they were trying not to look at each other. Dean tried really hard not to look at Castiel's eyes, but it was the last time he was going to see them, so he might as well take the risk.

Castiel offered his hand to shake, and Dean took it, lingering on it more than necessary. He liked that hand, he liked the touch, the warm, and suddenly, for the first time, he wondered what it would feel like _if_...

 

“Bye, Dean. I hope you have fun and relax.”

“Yeah, you too”

Castiel laughed “Oh, I won't. But thanks anyway.”

_Why?_

Dean smiled, and he didn't want to let the moment go, but he knew he had to. Then, he remembered something.

“Wait, let me pay at least my ticket back, if not the ride. I mean, that too.”

“No way, it was a welcome gift. But if you want, you could...” he seemed unsure by then.

“You could give me your phone and I could leave you my number. You know, just in case you need something.”

 

Dean didn't expect such a straight forward request, but he was happy to accept it. He gave him his phone and observed how the guy was typing his number with trembling hands. Was he nervous? Dean would have probably been too, had he not been awake for hundreds of hours. Castiel handed him his phone back, and disappeared before he had the chance to say anything. He watched the car going away, and then looked down on the phone. Castiel's number was saved under the name of Cas.

_Cas_.

That's how he had called him before, the nickname had come naturally to him.

Did he notice? Or did everybody call him that?

 

_I guess I'll find out._

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So okay, as you might have guessed, I'm italian, and so I sometime search the translation of some words. If you notice I've used them improperly, please tell me. I'm trying to better my English.  
> This fic won't be very long, as the story takes place in about 10 days. But it will be part of a series, if I manage to find enough time to write it.  
> I hope you like the Castiel I'm writing; the fact that he's italian would justify his canon way of speaking, almost scholar, right?
> 
> Also, please, any kind of feedback is pure gold to me.  
> Thank you so much for reading, I hope you liked it!
> 
> PS: you might wonder what was all the fuss about those girls on the train... well, it was a small tribute to this year's JIB. It was my first (and probably last) convention, and it takes place in the Hilton at Fiumicino Airport, so everyday I had to take the bus, the subway and the train... anyway, it has been one of the most important experiences of my life, and it indirectly helped me change perspective on some stuff. So, I had to talk about it, even though the story is set in august. If any of you has been there, let me know, I'm curious!


	2. Bella Notte

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> There may be some mistakes, please let me know if you find them!  
> It would help me a lot.  
> Enjoy :)

 

Rome, 15th August 2016

_Oh my God, what did I do?_

 

Castiel drove home thinking about Dean and how everything was fine until he embarrassed himself with that phone number nonsense.

Actually, before it happened it made perfectly sense in his mind: he genuinely wanted to help the man, it didn't matter if he was the most beautiful man he'd ever seen. He was acting purely out of kindness, so he didn't think it was strange to leave him his number.

Then second after he handed the phone back, he realized what it looked like. Which it wasn't. He also realized he'd help tons of lost tourists before, and never left them his number. So maybe it was.

 

_Whatever, it's not like I'm gonna see him again._

 

The idea of not having to face the consequences of his actions calmed him a little, and he managed to drive safely, without running his car into someone else's.

 

He got to a dark and quiet home: his parents and Anna were at his grandma's house, which was in a very small village in the mountain, while Gabriele was staying at his friends' house at the beach for a few days to get drunk with the excuse of celebrating Ferragosto.

It was rare to have no one around for such a long time, and he intended to make the most of it studying. That's why he had came home so soon, even if he was offered to stay for another week.

 

He knew his mother was expecting a call, but he only texted her that he was home, and took a quick shower.

Then, wearing only his boxers and with his hair still wet, he opened the freezer and took the stracciatella bowl of ice cream.

He had had a sandwich around 6.30 pm, but it wasn't a proper dinner and now that it was 9 pm he needed to eat something again.

He sat on the couch and turned on the TV. He felt somehow relaxed to hear people speaking italian: after being in England with Baldassarre and his friends for two weeks, it was nice to understand everything so easily. He loved speaking English and he wished he could speak it better, but he had to admit that it put him in a constant alert state of mind.

Still, he was grateful he had been able to interact with Dean. The excuse of speaking English actually helped him, it made him worry more about how to say stuff instead of what to say. Had it been any italian guy, he would have probably ended the conversation soon enough, and never got the gut to offer a ride or give his phone number.

And as he was thinking about the scene again, his phone rang.

 

It read ' _Mamma_ '.

 

_Of course._

 

“Pronto?”

“Buon Ferragosto, Castiel. How are you?”

“Fine, mum, I told you. Buon Ferragosto to you too”  
“Yeah, but we haven't actually talked in ages. Anna wanted to say hi.”

“Okay, okay, let me talk to her.”  
“Anna! Come here! Bye Castiel, goodnight.”  
“Night mom.”

“Cassie!” He smiled hearing his sister's voice. She was the one he had missed the most.

“Hi Anna, how are you? Did you have fun today?”

“Meh, it was so boring. We went to the usual restaurant and it was good, but there was no one my age. Then I asked mom if I could go see the horses behind the restaurant like when we were little, but she told me it didn't look good. So I had to sit there the whole time.”

“I'm sorry to hear that. I promise next year it'll be more fun.”

“Well, you better keep your promise. It's not fair you and Gabriele don't have to come with us anymore.”

She was just a 17 year old complaining, but those words hurt Castiel anyway. He tried to get out of his house and avoid his family whenever he could; it's not that he didn't like them as people, but he couldn't stand being around them for long periods of time. Except for his sister, of course.

“Anyway, yesterday we went to Amatrice for ice cream, do you remember when we used to go together?”

“Of course.” Amatrice was the nearest small town that had more to offer than some houses and a farm, like the village where his family stayed every summer. He used to go with them when he was younger: his parents would drive to Amatrice every time they needed to buy something, and he and Anna would play in the central square, then get some ice cream while waiting for them. Gabriele used to go with them too, sometimes. It was a nice memory.  
“Well, you have to come next year, at least for a few days.”

“I will. Listen, I loved hearing from you, but I'm really tired...”

“Yeah, yeah, got it. Goodnight, Castiel”

“Night Anna”

 

He hung up and turned off the TV. He had lost tons hours worth of sleep while staying with his cousin, and he needed to get some of them back. He'd have to start studying the next day.

He collapsed on his bed and fell asleep almost immediately.

 

 

16th August, 2016

 

Dean woke up at a decent hour: it was only 9 o' clock, but he had slept for almost 12 hours, and he managed to eat breakfast at the hotel's buffet before they closed. He then made his way back to his room and using the hotel's wi-fi, he texted his brother to tell him everything was going okay, even though he was probably still sleeping.

He wasn't sure why hadn't told him about Castiel yet. It's not like he was afraid of his brother getting mad at him for trusting a stranger, because he could handle that. He just felt that Castiel had been so kind to him, that even talking about it would ruin the memory.

And now that he was completely awake, he had to admit that the guy was hot. The memory of him driving the car, with the hands perfectly placed on the wheel, the naked biceps barely tense, the way he used the change stick like it was the easiest thing on earth. Castiel was hot, and since he could only have a memory of him, he didn't want to share it with anyone.

 

Then he remembered that he had Castiel's number. Or was it just a dream?

He checked on the phone.

 _Cas_.

His profile picture on Whatsapp was a selfie of his beautiful face. He's not properly smiling, but his lips are twitching on the side enough to make it look like. The light does his deep blue eyes justice, and the hair is a bit messy probably because of the wind.

It wasn't the first time Dean was attracted to a man: he'd had his fair share of one night stands with both men and women, and even had a boyfriend once.

The novelty was that he'd never been struck so easily by someone's beauty. He'd never thought about someone he'd just met, and if he had been back home, he would have already texted the guy.

But here, in Italy, he wasn't sure he should: maybe Castiel wasn't interested, maybe he was purely being nice. He was a Christian, wasn't he? Maybe his religion made him reach new levels of 'no homo', and he meant to establish a relationship with Dean in the friendliest way possible.

He decided he was going to try text him, but not right away. He needed topics for conversation, so he grabbed his backpack and left the hotel.

 

 

He waited for the bus 20 good minutes, and when he got on it, there wasn't even air conditioning.

He also found out that the bus driver didn't sell the tickets, but he stayed on the bus anyway. No one knew he didn't have the ticket, and he could look like anyone with a card. He sure wasn't gonna wait for another bus to come by.

He arrived at the metro station 15 minutes later already sweating, and he bought a five days ticket that allowed him to move around the whole city. The service was shit apparently, but at least it was cheap.

He got on the metro heading Battistini and gladly sit where there was almost no one; at least there was air conditioning to help him recover from the heat. He checked on his phone which stop he had to arrive to, and then relaxed in his seat and put earphones on.

 

He got off at _Spagna_.

For the day, his brother had planned a long walk, with no particular task. Only a first look at the city. The exit led him in a very short street that ended in a big square, the famous [Piazza di Spagna.](http://www.giovannicarrieri.com/surround/rome/piazza-spagna-barcaccia-trinita-monti.jpg)

It was bigger than he expected, and there were tons of people; mostly tourists in shorts and sunglasses, but also fancy people walking around in heels and groups of teenagers who walked faster than the others because they knew where they were going. He went left and caught a glimpse of the fountain his brother had talked about behind the tourists. In front of the fountain, there was the big stairway he had seen in movies and photos, but it was closed to the public, enclosed by plastic panels. He approached it and found out it was closed for maintenance.

 

_Perfect timing._

 

He wasn't mad, though, not when he was in one of the few places he knew of Rome. He also noticed a carriage and two horses among the people.

Suddenly, he remembered his brother wanted him to take pictures: he knew Sam was afraid he wasn't going to stick with the plan and he couldn't blame him for that. It took months to convince him to go in the first place. At least, with the day being that sunny, the photos looked easily good.

 

Then, he opened the map and headed left.

 

The walk was nice and he took his time to appreciate it: the streets were characteristic and bright, the people were from all around the world, and hearing bits of so many different languages somehow helped him to spend time with himself. It was a strange feeling, of alienation and meditation at the same time. He hadn't felt carefree in so long, he had forgotten how it felt like. Some girls would sometimes smile at him, and he would smile back, enjoying these little pleasures.

Maybe Sam was right with this whole trip thing.

 

He walked for a while on [Via del Corso,](http://www.zanzig.com/travel/rome-photos/rome0053a.jpg) and then turned left to go to Fontana di Trevi. Besides the Colosseum and Piazza di Spagna, it was the only thing he really wanted to see because of the movies.

Just as he thought he had gotten lost, the street he was walking on suddenly enlarged and the image of the fountain hit him. This time the square was smaller than he had imagined, and it was filled with people who were taking pictures or selfies, and blocking the way of those who wanted to move. He managed to get in front of the fountain and started to take pictures: the statues were tall and magnificent, the water looked clear and fresh. He took the few steps to get closer. You could see the coins resting on the bottom.

He sat on the stairs for a while and decided it was time to drink some water. As he took the bottle from the backpack, he noticed an old man giving his back to the fountain, and throwing a coin in.

In the back, instead, there were two girls, probably in their twenties, who decided it was okay to just take their shoes off and get in the water. They were immediately shout at by a guard nearby, though.

It was understandable, how can you think it's okay to play with a monument?

 

After drinking his water, which was somehow still fresh, he decided it was time to have lunch. He didn't want to sit at a restaurant by himself, but he didn't want to go to Mc Donalds either.

 

He wanted to search something online, but he couldn't: not without spending all his money in a minute.

He thought of a way to solve the problem: he still was going to spend some money, but he didn't care.

 

_12:34_

_Hey Cas! It's Dean, the zombie you met yesterday. Thanks again for the ride._

 

He read it a few times, and then pressed sent.

 

**12: 36**

**Hello, Dean. Are you feeling better? And don't worry, it was my pleasure, really.**

 

_12: 36_

_I'm great, thanks. I'm at Trevi's fountain now, and I was thinking maybe you know where I could eat something? No restaurants, though._

 

**12:37**

**What about ice cream? There's a place called Grom nearby, which has almost reasonable prices. I reccomend to try the cone. I'll text you the address in a minute. Let me know how it goes.**

 

Once he got the address, he searched the street on the map and stood up. It was a 5 minutes walk tops, and he loved the idea of getting ice cream, even though he wasn't sure it was going to be enough for lunch.

He would have loved to text back, but he knew they were both spending more than necessary to communicate.

 

He ordered the biggest cone and even if it was hard to eat it before it melt completely, it was still worth it. The ice cream was good, but the cone was orgasmic. He took a mental note to thank Castiel later for the tip.

 

 

 

 

He went back to the hotel around 6 pm, took a shower and lay on his bed. He was going to have dinner at the hotel restaurant, but he needed to rest a little. As soon as he turned on the wi fi on his phone, the thoughts of his life caught up and he wasn't sure he was prepared for that. There were tons of unread mails, all from work, and he felt the urge to open them. But he decided not to; he was on vacation, his boss had told him that he deserved it, and he didn't have to answer to work mails right away. It could wait.

 

_It's going to wait._

 

But it still ruined the mood. Now he was thinking about all the work in progress files he had left back home, and being responsible for those files was reason enough to worry about them, even though he had agreed to be helped by Kevin. Once he was back he was going to need time to catch up, and he didn't want to do that.

“It's not _that_ important” had told him Sam thousands of times, but it was hard to believe him. Working was what saved them from ending up in the street, working was what put Sam through school, and working hard was what allowed him to go from basic salesman to second in command at Singer's car dealership. People told him it was becoming an obsession and he had been able to shush them, until he had a literal melt down in front of the clientele for no apparent reason. That's why he took the sudden trip, and why he was supposed to relax.

He closed his mail, and opened his texting apps. He texted Sam a few photos from the day, he answered to Benny's questions about the trip, and Jo asked some pictures as well so he sent them.

 

Then he opened Castiel's chat.

Last access was about an hour before, but he decided to write to him anyway.

 

_18:35_

_Best ice cream ever :)_

 

He waited a few minutes for him to text back, and then dropped the phone on the bed when the text didn't come. He must have been busy; people had their life, and they weren't wasting their time like Dean was.

 

_Damn it._

 

He got out and took a walk in the neighborhood. It wasn't anything special; a bit dirty, some streets were full of potholes and every wall had some ink on it. There weren't many shops, and he met very few people on his way. It was like a completely different city from the one he visited in the morning. He went back to the hotel and decided to eat at the restaurant there. He ordered a cheeseburger and a salad instead of fries, trying to feel less guilty for not eating 100% healthy. The burger wasn't special, but the bread was good.

He finished at 8:15 pm, and went back in his room. Now that he had nothing to do, he could take a look at his mail, right?

He turned on his laptop and started working. Sam would never know.

Around 9.30 a text interrupted his typing.

 

**21:32**

**I'm glad you liked it. How was you day?**

 

It was Cas. He felt incredibly happy at the prospect of texting him, and he closed his laptop to focus on his phone.

 

_21:33_

_Better than I thought. I didn't even get lost... What about you?_

 

**21: 35**

**Far less interesting or fun day than yours. I've been studying.**

 

_21:35_

_Studying? The 16 th of August?_

 

**21:37**

**Yes, I have two exams left in September to complete this year's exams.**

 

_21:37_

_That sucks._

 

**21:37**

**Yeah.**

 

He wanted to ask what he was studying, but that was more of a first date question and, as soon as he thought that, the idea of a date with Castiel was all his brain could process. The only problem was finding out whether or not Cas liked to go out with guys. Yes, he had been nice to him so far, but they haven't properly flirted yet. Maybe because of the language barrier?

Or maybe because Castiel was just a kind person who liked to help tourists.

 

 _He's christian_ he remembered, and that lowered the chances that he'd be interested, but at the same time he seemed, like, a cool christian.

He decided to try and test the water; it wasn't a marriage proposal, he just wanted someone to hang out with. He hadn't talked to someone for more than 30 consecutive seconds the whole day, he had the every right to want to engage a relationship with someone, even if said relationship was strictly platonic.

 

_21: 45_

_You know, I haven't tried pizza yet. Should I? Do you know any good place?_

 

**21:46**

**I don't want to prove stereotypes right, but... you haven't eaten pizza yet?! There's a good pizzeria near the metro station, I'll text you the address so you can look it up, if you want.**

 

_21:47_

_Thank you. Although, it'll be pretty sad to go to a restaurant by myself, I've tried to avoid that today._

 

Perfect: now it was up to Castiel suggesting a date, or whatever. He could manage to hang out with him without the possibility of getting into his pants. He would have loved to see more of Castiel's skin, but secretly looking at his arms and neck would be okay too.

 

Castiel didn't answer right away, though. Had he scared him off?

No, his texts were more innocent than a virgin teenage girl's, so much that he was almost ashamed. He's used to being more forward, but here it looked like Castiel was his only chance to know someone and he didn't want to screw it up.

 

The vibration of his phone shook him from his fears, and the name Cas appeared on the screen.

 

**21:58**

**I could go with you.**

 

**21:58**

**I mean, if you want to**

 

**21:58**

**We could talk, exchange stories**

 

**21:59**

**And then I'd be able to say that I have an American friend**

 

**21:59**

**With friend I meant someone I know**

 

_22:00_

_That sounds perfect to me_

 

**22:01**

**Great**

 

**22:01**

**so let's say I pick you up at 8 pm at the hotel?**

 

_22:02_

_Okay, so tomorrow, 8 pm._

 

**22:03**

**Yes.**

 

_22:05_

_Well, then, I think I'm gonna sleep now._

 

**22:05**

**Already?**

 

_22:05_

_hey don't judge me_

_22:06_

_I've walked for a whole day, I deserve it_

 

**22:07**

**I wasn't going to... well, I should say goodnight, then.**

 

_22:09_

_Buonanotte, Cas._

 

 

Rome, 17th August 2016

Castiel parked his car near the hotel entrance. He was 10 minutes early and extremely anxious Dean wasn't going to show up. They hadn't talked since last night: Castiel had spent the whole day studying, while Dean had probably gone out so he didn't have the wi fi.

Castiel was afraid the handsome guy would forget their... how to call it? Date? Technically, it was one, but it didn't have to mean anything. And maybe Dean had already forgotten anyway.

He checked his phone for the millionth time: it was 7:54 pm. He wanted to text Dean, because what if he was waiting for him to text him to get down? But at the same time, what if he never actually planned on going out, and thought Castiel was kidding? Then it would be awkward.

He didn't even know why he proposed to go out in the first place: it wasn't his usual thing, he didn't date. His only two boyfriends were friends he already knew that he had fallen in love with.

 

_Then again, maybe he doesn't want this to be a date._

 

Caught in his thoughts, he almost jumped when he heard someone knocking on the passenger seat's window: he turned around and saw Dean, bent toward the car, slightly smiling in his direction. He smiled back immediately, and gestured with his hand to come in. Dean opened the door and sit next to him: he was even more beautiful than he remembered, but what struck him was his odor. Dean smelled like fresh, clean and something else he couldn't quite put his finger on. He looked less tired and already more tanned, which only improved his appearance. He was wearing a green t-shirt and long jeans. Castiel realized he had been luckier than ever to have met someone like Dean: he was exactly his every fantasy material, and he didn't know if he should be worried he had sold his soul in his sleep to have the chance to get to know hi,.

 

“Hey, Cas”

And _his freaking voice_. Warm, low, soothing and sexy at the same time. And whenever that voice said his name, he could feel shivers running down his spine even though it was still hot outside.

“Hello, Dean. How are you?”

“Good, good... today was nice, but a little boring, I'll tell you about it later. What about you? Been studying?”

“Unfortunately, yeah, even though I wasn't as focused as I wished.”

“Thinking about something in particular?” Dean asked, almost smirking, Cas was sure of that.

He refused to admit that yes, he had been thinking about this date the whole day, so he just shrugged and started the car instead.

 

Whenever he could, he'd look at Dean with the corner of his eyes, always finding him jerk away from being caught staring. Once again, he really hoped he wasn't imagining things.

He would have loved to do some more small talk, but he didn't know how to start: Dean surely hadn't been watching italian news, nor they could gossip about people he'd never met.

For the first time he wondered if he had been too confident with his English: what if they started talking about a topic he didn't know the vocabulary of?

He'd been reading books and watching movies in English since he was 14, but it still felt like he wasn't even near being fluent. Mostly because he had no one to talk to, and speaking out loud was much more difficult than just imagining or writing conversation. Up until now it hadn't been a problem, not for Dean at least, but he remained nervous the whole ride to the restaurant.

 

Only when they sat at the table reserved for them he relaxed a little, but it didn't last long: they were at a small table for two and they weren't sit one in front of the other, but at two consecutive sides of the table. Being Dean very tall, and Castiel not so small himself, that meant their knees were going to keep each other company for the rest of the night. Obviously he started by sitting straight: he still wasn't sure they were on the same page, even though the way Dean acted and his instinct told him otherwise.

They ordered two light beers and took some time to look at the menu. Or at least, Dean was trying to read what was written on it, while Castiel stared at him and noticed that he was even cuter when he focused.

“I don't think I understand, so I guess I'll take what you take?”

“I'll translate it, if you want. But I would suggest to start with these appetizers: it's basically fried pizza strings. They're called Angioletti and Diavoletti, which mean little angels and devils. Would you like to try that?”

“Hell yeah, it's been ages since I ate something fried. Even though I don't live with Sam anymore, I still hear his voice ordering me what's healthy and what's not.”

“Really? I wish I had someone to keep me in line. I get bored with healthy diets pretty easily.”

He wanted to ask who Sam was, he really did, but he didn't want to pry right away.

“Yeah, but I've decided in Italy calories don't count.”

“That's a very agreeable decision. Will it work for me too?”

“You wish” Dean said, smiling and maybe... leaning in? It was a slight move, and now it looked like he had always sit like that, so Castiel didn't really know.

He chuckled and then illustrated to Dean all the types of pizza on the menu.

“And this is a _Diavola_ , which is basically a margherita with spicy salami.”

“Isn't that a Pepperoni?”

“Well, peperoni in italian means, like, peppers, the vegetable, so not really...”

 

They kept commenting pizzas until a waiter interrupted them with their beers.

“Siete pronti per ordinare?”

Castiel turned to Dean, who simply nodded, and then answered.

“Sì. Prenderemo una porzione di Angioletti, poi una [Diavola](http://www.silviocicchi.com/pizzachef/wp-content/uploads/2015/03/d2.jpg) e una[Boscaiola](http://www.checucino.it/wp-content/uploads/2014/12/pizzasalsicciafunghiemozzarella.jpg).”

“... boscaiola, perfetto. È tutto?”

“Sì, grazie”

The waiter, a pretty brunette, took back the menus and smiled at them, winking at Dean, before turning around and walking back to the kitchen.

Castiel felt immediately angry with her, even though he had no right: the poor girl just found Dean attractive, he couldn't blame her for that and she didn't deserve him staring at her like that.

He tried to catch Dean's reaction, but found him already looking at him, with a strange smile on his face.

“What?”

“Nothing, nothing...”

Dean took a sip of his beer, but didn't stop smiling.

 

The dinner was lovely. They shared the appetizer, sometimes reaching the plate at the same time and touching the other's hand. Dean was delighted to find out the pizza he was going to eat all by himself wasn't small, but normal size. Also, as soon as he took the first bite, he moaned in a way that completely crashed Castiel's system, starting every single alarm in his mind and his body. As if that wasn't enough, their legs were practically touching by then and Dean didn't seem to mind. Castiel eventually relaxed on the language issue and started talking more directly and instinctively, even if that meant some grammar mistakes. Dean didn't seem to mind that either. Actually, he seemed to be enjoying himself and what he was eating. He told Castiel he'd been at the Vatican Museum that day, so he could already check it on the list.

“I thought it was going to be boring, but I knew Sam, my brother, would hate me if I didn't. So I went as soon as possible, and it was actually more interesting than I anticipated. But there's too much to see, at some point I thought I'd become claustrophobic if I stayed there one more minute.” Okay, so Sam was just his brother. Good to know.

“I went there with my parents when I was a kid, so I don't remember much. But I do remember the endless walking. I wish I had the time to visit it again, though, now that I know more of what I'm seeing.”

“You study art?”

“No, I just... like it. It was, like, a mandatory subject in high school. Actually, our high school system is very different from yours, but let's just say I had to study it, and I found out I really liked it.”  
“Got it. So what are you studying, then?”

“I'm studying medicine. I'm almost done, actually, I have two exams left to give and then work on my thesis in order to graduate.”

“Medicine? That's... cool. Why'd you choose that?”

“I just want... to heal people. I know it sounds pretentious, but when I see someone in pain, I just wish to see them better. And by being a doctor I could actually help.”

When Castiel finished, he noticed Dean was staring at him again, speechless, but this time it was different: it was like he was trying to see through him.

“Did I say something wrong?”

“No, no, what you said it's very noble, it's just... you know, doctors make a living out of other people suffering. Sometimes I get the vibe that they're waiting for people to have cancer, so that they can cure it and be famous.”

“I don't think that's true. I'd make a living, hopefully, out of _helping_ other people to overcome their suffering. I think the free healtcare helps, putting doctors in this perspective, but I assure you that good doctors do exist.”

“If you say so...”

Dean cut himself another slice and smiled.

“What do you do, instead?”

“I co-own a car dealership.”

“Well, that's impressive, at your age?”

“What, a 45 old man can't have a career?”

Castiel almost choked.

_Forty-five?! He looks my age! Maybe a little older, but not that much._

“Okay Cas, if you're really believing I'm that old I'm gonna get offended.”

“No, obviously, I...”

“I'm 31.”

“Wow, I thought you were my age.”

“Which is...”

“25”

“Then I'll take _that_ as a compliment.”

 

 

 

Dean insisted on paying and Castiel let him only after he risked with a “Then I'll pay for the next one.” Dean didn't flinch at that, but smiled instead and laughed a little. It finally made all of his worries go away: they were on the same page, and he didn't screw it up yet.

It was 10 pm and they decided to take a walk around before getting into the car: their stomachs were full and there wasn't much to do, but they enjoyed each other's company. They walked next to each other, chatting, with their sides touching from time to time: it felt good and perfect, until Castiel saw an old lady who was walking towards them. Castiel immediately stepped away from Dean, and then he smiled at her as she approached them.

Dean kept to himself, watching them talking in italian and he noticed the lady looking at him with curiosity, then saying goodbye to Castiel and walking away.

“Did you know her?”

“Yeah, she's, uhm, someone from church.”

Castiel didn't say anything else, and Dean didn't ask.

They made their way back to the car and silence fell on them for a while.

“You know, I really enjoyed myself tonight.”

Castiel smiled: Dean wasn't mad at him for how he acted.

“Me too. Actually, I was wondering...” He wanted to ask him out again, he did. But should he? Whenever he fell for someone like he was falling for Dean, he always fell hard. And then it would take a lot of effort to get back on his feet when things didn't work out. With Dean he already knew he shouldn't expect a normal relationship: he was going to be there for some days, and then he'd fly away. If he wanted to meet him again, he had to make sure his feelings for him were 100% casual and laid back, or he wouldn't recover easily from his departure. Maybe he should stop before things got out of hand.

“You were wondering?”

“If you'd like to go out again, one of these days.”

There, he said it. Now there was no turning back. He didn't dare look at Dean, with the excuse of keeping his eyes on the street, even though they had stopped at a red light. He could see Dean's hotel, and he knew they were about to say goodbye: now it was up to Dean deciding if that goodbye was permanent or temporary.

Dean didn't answer at first, but when he was about to drive the car in front of the hotel, Dean's voice startled him.

“Pull over” His voice was suddenly lower and sent immediately a shiver down Castiel's spine. Before he could even realize it, he took a right and parked the car in a secondary street. As soon as he stopped the car and turned it off, he turned to Dean, who was leaning closer and had already put an arm on the driver's seat.

“I would love to go out again with you, but I _really_ need to know if...”

He didn't finish the sentence, but leaned in instead with his green eyes stuck in Castiel's.

Castiel felt his heart rate rising, and his heartbeat was so strong it felt like it echoed in the rest of his body. He didn't do much, except for keeping his eyes on Dean's and slighty moving toward him as well. They weren't touching yet, but he could feel the warm of Dean's arm beside him, he could smell Dean's perfume and he could feel his breaths. He realized the man had looked down at his lips, and that was the signal he needed to take the last step: he leaned in and kissed him. He simply left a small kiss on Dean's lips at first, but it was like he had woken something in him. Dean kissed Castiel back, opening his mouth and caressing with his left hand Castiel's jawline.

They deepened the kiss, their tongues met and Castiel's heart exploded. Dean tasted like heaven and kissed like a god. He let himself go, and he put his hand on Dean's shoulder, pulling him closer. The kiss started to get frenetic, they both quietly groaned in it, and Dean's hand moved from Castiel's face to his neck, down his chest and then it rested on Castiel's thigh. The kiss didn't stop and Castiel felt himself getting hard. If Dean's mouth wasn't addictive enough, his touch was like fire catching through him. “Cas...” he heard, and that made him almost thrust his hips toward Dean. Almost. When Dean's hand made its way between his thighs and Castiel felt the touch getting nearer and nearer his crotch, he pulled back. He hated himself for it, but didn't regret it.

First of all, they were in his neighborhood, and who knows who could pass past them at any moment. Second of all, he'd never gotten so serious so fast with anyone: he liked taking his time to get comfortable enough to enjoy it. Not that he wasn't enjoying it, but he knew he couldn't handle anymore right now. Dean, a little surprised, pulled back as well and wore concerned frown on his face. His left arm wasn't on Castiel's seat anymore, and he looked like he was tying to get as much distance between them as he could.

“I didn't misunderstood, did I?”

“No, Dean, it's just... I...”

Damn it, he felt like he had completely forgotten every single English word he knew.

“Not yet.” he just said, hoping it would be enough explanation for now.

Dean's expression softened at that, leading Cas to do the same with his panicked one.

“Of course” his voice was still lower than usual, but it was softer and kinder. Castiel attempted a smile, and Dean smiled back.

“I think it's time I head back, then. Goodnight, Castiel, I hope I'll see you soon?”

Castiel simply nodded at first, but before Dean got out of the car, he grabbed his t-shirt and pulled him in for another kiss. It was as passionate as before, but more gentle and calm. When it ended, he could feel Dean's smile on his lips, and he whispered to him.

“Buonanotte, Dean.”

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you for reading, and remember I'm dying to know what you think of it.  
> Are you interested on the tourist part of the fic, with photos and description? (the photos are taken from internet)  
> Is it okay if I leave some conversation in italian? I mean, Castiel just ordered their pizzas when he talked to the waiter, I hope it didn't put you off. I just want this story to be as realistic as possible.  
> Also, I wanted tell you to mind the angst tag a little. It's going to happen in the last chapters and it's not major angst, but it might be triggering for italian readers, who might have guessed already what I'm talking about. Beside that, I really don't want to spoil the fic. 
> 
> Any feedback is appreciated and loved,  
> see you!


	3. La dolce vita

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Okay so almost a year passed since I started this fic and I'm so sorry, senior year of high school happened (which in Italy is the fifth because of course four weren't enough for us) and I got super busy. I can finally relax now and I hope I'll finish writing this pretty quickly: here's an easy chapter to get back to the story, expect smut.

Rome, 17th August, 2016

 

Dean's legs walked him into his room in automatic: his mind was still thinking about Castiel's lips and his heart was still beating fast from his touch. He liked kissing and he was good at it, but once he got over the whole teenager era he couldn't understand what all the fuss was about anymore. Now, with a big idiot smile on his face, he couldn't help but wish he was still in the car, just kissing Cas.

Before going out, he had thought there were only two ways the evening could go: either Castiel was a lonely guy who just wanted to befriend him, or he intended it to be a date as well and they would end up in his hotel room.

It wasn't the only reason why he wanted to have dinner with him, but still the possibility of it happening was an important part of the appeal. Both he and Castiel knew he wasn't going to stay long, so it was implicit that any kind of relationship would be short and casual, and probably a one time thing; that's why he rushed a little with his hands during the kissing.

But then the date turned out to be far more perfect than he expected: he genuinely had a good time and managed to spend it without worries or stress related thoughts. And Castiel was... better than he could have ever hoped for: he sensed that because of the language barrier he only got to see a part of his personality, but it was enough to make him want to get to know him more: that's why he was rather glad Castiel suggested a second date, and that's why going to bed alone didn't bother him at all, not when the kiss he'd just had was hotter than anything happened to him lately. They were so close and Castiel made certain sounds that he completely lost his self control for a few seconds and just went for it. Then, when Castiel pulled away he feared the worst: he had always paid attention about the other enjoying it as much he did, but maybe in the heat of the moment he hadn't caught some signs.  

But Cas didn't look angry or scared, just overwhelmed: he didn't say no, but 'not yet'.

He probably didn't feel comfortable enough, and Dean was 100% okay with waiting for a second, third, fourth date, if Castiel decided he wanted to.

 

Had they met in America, he would have considered properly dating him and maybe falling for him. He seemed to be the perfect match: smart, funny, witty and kind at the same time. He seemed to always speak his mind, which was something Dean appreciated: even if they hadn't talked about anything deep, he could feel Castiel wasn't faking anything to appear more interesting.

 

He didn't know if he was completely out of the closet, given how he acted when he met the church lady, but it was none of his business. It would have been if they had had a chance at being together.   

 

He changed and lay on the bed only wearing a t shirt and boxers. Thinking about the kiss got him half hard again and he considered for a moment texting Castiel, wondering whether it'd make him look desperate or interested. He opted for using his own imagination and leave Cas be.

He put a hand in his boxers and masturbated, slowly and quietly: he had no rush of falling asleep, and nothing to worry about the day after. That's why that night he slept better than he had in ages.

 

Rome, 18th August, 2016

Castiel tried to study that morning.

He really did.

It was very rare to have the house all by himself and the absolute peace he needed, so he knew it was wise of him to make the most of it. He knew he should have studied so he wouldn't end up behind on the schedule once the exams were due.

But having the house all for himself also meant he could spend some alone time in a totally different way. Sharing his bedroom with his brother and living with other four people had taught him all there was to know about not being caught masturbating. His skills were speed and quietness, very useful during his teenage years.

He didn't need them like he used to before, but still sometimes it was nice to seek some relax.

 

That Thursday, though, his goal wasn't getting stress out of his system: he just wanted to let himself think about Dean. Dean's warm embrace, Dean's breath on his neck, Dean's hands on his thigh and waist.

Around noon, he decided he could take a break, even though he had only started at 10:30. He went to his bedroom and sat on his bed, pulling down his boxers. It didn't take long before he got completely hard. He started stroking his cock, enjoying the fact he didn't need to hide or close the door. He still made almost no sound, but he allowed himself not to control his breaths and let go a little more as he reached the orgasm.

It was simple, it felt good and put a smile on his face. He had initially tried not to think too much about Dean, but at some point the image of him on his knees, between his legs, sucking his cock and holding his hips was too tempting and brought him on edge.

 

He cleaned himself, enjoying the fact he could walk around naked, and checked his phone, still in his good mood.

He found some texts in different chats on Whatsapp, one of which was Dean's.

_12:23_

_Hey, how's study going?_

_I've finally found a mcdonalds with a working wifi, and I was thinking maybe I could see you today?_

_When you're done studying, obviously._

 

_12: 23_

_Let me know._

 

_12:24_

_I mean, I know it's soon to ask you out again, but I just can't stop thinking about you._

 

_12:26_

_Was that too much? Ugh, ignore it._

 

Castiel smiled incredulous. He was glad Dean still wanted to see him, more glad that he wanted to admit.

 

**12:30**

**Hello, Dean. Studying could go better, I can't seem to focus much.**

**How about we meet at Piazza del Popolo around 3.30 pm?**

**At the obelisk.**

 

_12:31_

_Been distracted by something in particular?_

 

**12:31**

**More like someone.**

 

_12:32_

_Oh really?_

_Someone I know?_

 

**12:32**

**Maybe...**

 

_12:33_

_Then I'll have to ask you about it later._

 

**12:33**

**we'll see**

Castiel's smile was now impossible to contain. He said to himself it was only because of the novelty of the whole situation, but deep down he knew it was something more. He just decided not to think about it, or he would have to admit something rather inconvenient.

Castiel arrived at 3:20 because he didn't want to make Dean wait, but he found him already sitting on the stairs under the [obelisk](http://www.fabriziomosconi.com/foto/foto/piazzadelpopolo/big/piazza_del_popolo01.jpg) in the shadowed zone. He looked stunning, as always, with his elbows resting on his knees and his skin slightly more tanned than the day before. He was tempted to take a picture of him and ask his friends if he was actually real or just a serious hallucination.

As he got near, Dean recognized him and stood up, waving and smiling  a little. He took a few steps toward Castiel, until they were one in front of the other.

“Hey, Dean”

“Ciao, Cas. Come stai?”

The accent made him smile, and he felt like leaning in and kiss him just because of the effort of speaking Italian.

_Should I kiss him?_

 

Dean didn't move either, and they stared at each other for a few, endless seconds, when suddenly Castiel realized Dean was probably waiting for an answer and he felt like a complete idiot.

“I'm fine, you?”

He found the strength to look into Dean's eyes again, and found them already set on his own. Instead of saying something back, the very hot, tall, dreamy American guy gently put a hand on his cheek and pulled him in for a kiss. It was quick, but intense.

“Much better, now” Castiel felt himself blushing, as the other man smirked. He looked around and was relieved to find almost no one looking at them. It's not like he never kissed in public, but it was always a step he took after a while. With Dean, instead, he felt reckless.

_Yeah reckless, you kissed him in front of some strangers, how very rebellious of you._

He knew it wasn't much, and he knew Dean was ignoring everything that was happening in his head, but he felt proud of himself for not backing away. The sight of two nuns walking past them, though, brought him back to reality. They hadn't even looked at them, but he still went stiff as he watched them go by. Dean must have noticed because he had taken a step back and had stopped smiling before asking.

“So, uhm, you were planning on going somewhere?”

His voice was less smoothing than before, and Castiel felt like a jerk for ruining the mood so stupidly.

“What do you say about a walk in a park?”

Dean looked surprised-

“A park? Here?”

“Let's go.”

Castiel started walking, feeling Dean following him.

They took the stairs that were on the opposite side of the square, they crossed a road and took more stairs. Dean looked amazed by the fact he hadn't paid attention to the trees, even though they were visible from the piazza.

When they finally arrived, Castiel showed Dean [the view](http://aisenatori.com/ws0101/wp-content/uploads/2016/06/terrazza-del-Pincio.jpg). It was one of his favorite places, there were always all different kinds of people: tourists, families with kids, groups of teenagers speaking loudly and often pranking each other with the water from the fountain nearby. Dean said nothing, but took the initiative to go find a spot in the balcony, and Castiel gladly followed him. Once they leaned on the railing, Dean said “it's beautiful.”

Castiel nodded in agreement and silently took a few steps back, pulling out his phone and taking some pictures of Dean, even if he was giving his back.

Dean turned his head and saw what Cas was doing.

“Enjoying the view?”

Castiel grinned back, not knowing what to answer, so he asked instead.

“Do you want me to take a picture with yours?”

Dean seemed to think about it, but then he handed his phone and turned completely, posing for a standard picture.

Castiel took a few shots, imagining taking a selfie with Dean instead, or asking someone to take a picture of them. Just to have some proof that what he was living wasn't a dream.  


They went into in the park, and Castiel explained it was the nicer part, called il pincio. They walked past people sitting on benches, young couples kissing, kids playing and for a moment Castiel wished he was brave enough to hold Dean's hand, or ask him to lie down on the grass like any other couple and kiss for the whole afternoon. That was still the plan, but he intended on doing that in another place.

The passed by [the water clock](http://www.sovraintendenzaroma.it/var/sovrintendenza/storage/images/i_luoghi/ville_e_parchi_storici/passeggiate_parchi_e_giardini/passeggiata_del_pincio/galleria_di_immagini/passeggiata_del_pincio_l_orologio_ad_acqua/108808-1-ita-IT/passeggiata_del_pincio_l_orologio_ad_acqua_gallery.jpg) and crossed a bridge, taking then a left arriving at a small lake. It was 3:50 and only few people were there.[ In the lake](https://www.italyguides.it/images/gridfolio/rome/borghese/villa-borghese.110.jpg) there were some rowing boats.

Dean looked interested in them.

“Do you want to rent one?”

“What?”

“Do you want to rent a boat? It's usually a teenager cheap move, but I guess we're excused if we do it because you're a tourist.”

Dean laughed and Castiel was glad he was responsible for that wonderful scene.

“Okay, let's be cheesy.”

They paid the man who rented them and got on the boat. Castiel took the oars, against Dean's complaining, and slowly  moved the boat around the lake, trying to avoid scaring the fishes in the water and the ducks.

The lake was relatively small and they had 20 minutes to spend, so he stopped the boat behind the small temple that emerged from the water, hidden from the people who walked past the lake. There were other three boats going around, but Castiel cared very little about them.

He smiled at Dean, but started to panic. He didn't know what to say. Was he boring him?

It had been a while since they last spoke. Fortunately a turtle swam next to the boat, and he pointed it to Dean. He took a photo of it, and then went back to staring at Castiel, leaning in a little from his seat and so he leaned as well, not knowing if a kiss was appropriate at the moment. As he was breaking down his brain, trying to decide what to do next, Dean surprised him as he started singing.

“Sha la la, my oh my, looks like the boy's too shy...”

Castiel laughed nervously, maybe a little too loud, and then he decided it was a clear invitation, so he put a hand on Dean's t shirt to pull him closer and kissed him.

They started slowly and Castiel took his time to enjoy Dean's sweet touch, brushing their lips together. Then Dean gently pushed with his tongue Castiel's lips, and he open his mouth, allowing him in.

It was so easy to kiss Dean.

With the other boyfriends in the past, they had needed some practice to reach a certain level of understanding, but now everything about it felt more natural, so much that he almost made a sound of complaint when Dean pulled back, probably to take a breath.

“Now, that wasn't so difficult, was it?”

Castiel shrugged. “I didn't know if you felt like doing it.”

“Don't worry, I'm always in the mood for that.”

Castiel rolled his eyes, and positioned himself straighter to start rowing again, but Dean stopped him.

“Let me do it.”

“It's okay...”

“No, come on, you already did it.”

Castiel crossed his arms. “Does it bother you not being in control?”

_Oh God, what is wrong with me._

Dean's face was priceless, but he recovered quickly with a comeback.

“Not if we agree on terms beforehand.” Castiel tried to laugh nonchalantly, but he was hit by a train of pictures he really needed to push away for later.

“Okay, come here.”

Dean sat next to him in the center of the boat and they kissed a little more. Then, Castiel took Dean's former place and Dean started rowing back where the owner was waiting for them.

He looked like it was an effortless act, and Castiel didn't mind watching him.

“Just admit you did it to show off your muscles and get my attention.”

“Just admit it worked.”

“Touchè”

 

They continued their walk, getting into the bigger part of the park, with open spaces and tons of trees. The grass was less cured, but there were fewer people and everyone minded their own business. They found a good place where to sit, under the shadow of a tree and Dean stretched exaggeratedly his arms before lying down. Castiel watched him amused, and remained seated.

Dean closed his eyes.

“Cas, can I ask you a question?”

“Of course”

“Are you in the closet?”

Well, Castiel didn't expect _that_. He waited a few seconds, collecting his ideas and thinking about the simplest way to explain himself. It was a subject he usually didn't like to discuss, but he wasn't annoyed by Dean question. It was easy to trust someone who wouldn't be part of his life for long, and most importantly, who wouldn't interact with the other people he knew. Still, he didn't find something worth saying, so he just answered

"I, mh... it's complicated, being a christian. But I'm not in the closet."

Dean didn't look convinced, but he didn't insist either. Castiel, instead, was very interested in playing nervously with the grass.

Dean sat up and kissed the confused expression on Castiel face, catching him by surprise.

“I'm sorry I asked, I just wanted to know if I could do this freely.” And then he kissed him again. Castiel relaxed in the kiss, and slowly pushed Dean back, almost laying on top of him, resting on his forearms.

He whispered on Dean's lips “Yes you can.”

And they began to kiss again. Castiel felt like the teenager he never got the chance to be, and he couldn't believe Dean wasn't tired of him yet.

Dean pulled him even closer, grasping his hips and Castiel completed his mission of positioning himself on top of him, his legs on Dean's  sides. For a second he worried someone might see them, but he ignored that as soon as Dean started kissing him again.

They got hard almost at the same time and Castiel started rolling his hips on Dean's to get some relief, when he heard someone clearing his throat loudly. Castiel turned his head and saw a carabiniere behind them.

“Take it elsewhere” he said in italian and Castiel nodded, rolling off of Dean.

Dean laughed and got back on his feet. He offered a hand to Castiel.  
“Come on, let's take it elsewhere.” Castiel took it and stood up as well. They talked about neutral topics for a few minutes, waiting for their hard ones to fade, and then they slowly made their way back to the metro station, walking across another part of the park.

The more Castiel discovered about Dean's personality, the more he feared he would end up loving him.

At first he thought Dean was somehow limited in certain areas, but he wasn't: and now he couldn't find another possible flaw in him. When they got out of the subway, Dean followed Castiel to his car without the need of any of them asking if they'd go back together.

Castiel found it rather difficult to drive with Dean's hand on his thigh, moving up and down, and receiving kisses on his neck whenever there was a red light, with a whispered "You're so sexy when you drive".

Still, he managed to arrive at Dean's hotel parking lot without running into anyone else's car, so  as soon as he turned off the engine, he threw himself at Dean to get back at him, kissing him passionately and putting a hand on his crotch. He felt Dean shiver under his touch, and when the guy asked “Do you want to come with me?”, he stopped, pulled away and simply said. “No.” Dean's face fell and Castiel had to use every bit of his strength not to laugh at the offended expression.

“That's what you get for distracting me while I'm driving. Now get out.”

He could see Dean's brain thinking hard, trying to decide whether he was kidding or not.

“Still, I'll text you my address and wait for you at my place for dinner at 8 pm, if you want.”

Dean groaned a “we'll see.” and made a scene of getting out of the car, trying to look hurt. They both smiled widely as soon as they knew the other wasn't looking.

 

 

The intercom rang just as Castiel was finishing dressing pasta with pesto.

“Sì?”

“I believe I have reservation for two for tonight?”

“At what name, sir?”

“Winchester.”

“Mh... yes, there you are. You may come in, sixth floor.”

He giggled as he hung up.

_I'm worse than Anna with her crushes._

The thing was, Dean made him feel young and stupid and for once he could enjoy the moment and the feeling because there were no bad consequences that worried him. Everything else in his life was always in suspension, every move he made could go right or wrong, but with Dean any wrong would be okay too, because he already knew the relationship was going to end anyway.  

 

The doorbell rang, and he tried to fix his hair once more before opening the door.

He was still surprised by Dean's beauty, like whenever he saw him for the first time after awhile: not that he could forget it, but it was always new and fresh. He smelled heavenly, like the day before.

“I would have brought flowers, but I didn't know where to buy them.”  
“Don't worry, they would have probably died the minute I touched them.”

“And you want to become a doctor?”

Another thing he couldn't get used to was Dean's laugh: genuine and contagious. They sat at the table in the living room.

“Cas, don't waste fancy wine on me. I won't know the difference.”

“I stole it from my dad's collection, but I swear it's not the best.”

“You sure?”

“Yeah” and so they opened the bottle and started dinner.

They talked about everything, and nothing in particular at the same time. Trump’s possible election, the list of bad politician Italy had as well, general gossip, comments on movies, stars, the Olympic games and so on. The conversation never touched more personal topics, and it went on easily.

After they had finished dinner and drank more wine, Castiel proposed to watch a movie and they moved to the couch. They scrolled down Netflix library for a while, arguing on almost everything since they didn't seem to like the same things. Like, at all. Until they both agreed on watching a tv show called 'Hunting the supernatural', choosing their favorite episode from season five.

 

Since they both had seen the episode already, it only took 10 minutes of 'secret' glances at each other before Dean slightly spread his leg, poking Castiel with his knee. Castiel, on his part, enjoyed the feeling, the rush, the rising of his heartbeat because of the anticipation for a while before giving in. Out of the blue, he decided to kiss Dean. Said kiss was welcomed with a low groan, and Dean's hands were immediately on Castiel's waist, sliding up and down. The thin t shirt Castiel was wearing – they both opted for casual in a silent agreement- couldn't keep him for feeling the warmth of Dean's touch through the material and even though the temperature was already hot itself, Castiel wanted more. Deepening the kiss, he rolled on top of Dean, sitting on his lap and squeezing the guy's hips with his thighs, while Dean used the remote shut down the television.

Castiel blushed a little, fearing he'd appear somehow awkward: he had always contained himself, even in the most intimate moments and with the people he trusted the most. But with Dean, he knew he didn't have to worry about judgment, and he definitively relaxed once Dean grabbed his ass in a less gentle way than usual to pull him closer. Castiel's lips moved from Dean's to his jawline, lightly sucking at the angle, and then down his neck as Dean's hands were now under Castiel's t-shirt, caressing his back, and then slowly rolling it up. They stopped kissing only to let Castiel take off his shirt, which made him blush even more, feeling like a stupid teenager. Then he saw the look Dean was giving him, filled with lust and want and adoration, and even if he knew the magic wouldn't last long, even if he knew Dean was going to be gone and that he needed to be careful with his emotions, he locked his eyes' with Dean's and let himself drown in the ecstasy of the moment. His fingers surprisingly firm, he helped Dean take off his shirt as well and couldn't stop himself from gasping once he saw what was underneath it. Dean's muscular body wasn't news, but seeing it in the flesh was better than any fantasy he could have had.

“Like what you see?”

Castiel remembered that Dean's voice doubled his sex appeal, and the reminder almost made him lose control over his hips, who were seeking contact.

He couldn't manage to articulate an answer, not an answer Dean would understand anyway, so he tried to give an appropriate smile as he carefully placed his hands on Dean's chest, scared that once he'd touched him,  he would disappear. He spread his knees so that his hips could meet Dean's waist and he started rolling them on his crotch, getting a very low moan from the other.

 

His pants were now definitely too tight and Dean’s breath was everywhere around his neck, and Castiel was sure that in all his life, it wouldn’t get better than this. Dean proved him wrong shortly after, though, when he flipped them on the couch so that now they both lay there, Dean being on top of Castiel and resting on his forearms, which made is biceps contract and make Castiel’s heart go crazy. At this point, they started kissing again, even more passionately than before, and it was so much, that Castiel couldn’t help let his hips thrust up to meet Dean’s. The guy grinned as if he wasn’t having a similar problem, and one of his arms went between their bodies to unzip Castiel’s trousers, while his kisses moved down the neck once again. Castiel’s first instinct was to do something, because it wasn’t fair Dean had to do all the work while he was there, enjoying himself, but any coherent thought stopped as he felt Dean’s hand lowering his boxer elastic band and grabbing his finally free cock.

“Cazzo” he groaned, as Dean was sucking under his jaw and stroking him, testing how and where to pressure.

Castiel was now breathing heavily and he knew he wasn’t going to last much longer, and Dean seemed to realize that too, because he stopped kissing his skin and just intensively stared at him, as he worked faster with his hand, watching as Castiel was losing any remote piece of control he still had.  “Dean” he said, his accent stronger than usual, and Dean immediately kissed him, as Cas’s orgasm hit him so hard, he had to grab Dean’s shoulder. After that, Dean kissed him once more, and then moved off from him, leaving him a few seconds to recover. Castiel completely zoned out and didn’t even notice Dean was gone, until he felt something gently brushing his stomach.

 

He opened his eyes and saw that Dean was cleaning his cum, and he had something in his eyes that Castiel couldn’t quite understand. He looked like he was caring, but also much more than that. He immediately sat up, ashamed that he let his guest do everything, and took the napkin from Dean’s hand, finishing what he started.

 

“Dean, that was the most… I…”  he realized his brain didn’t have any english word available at the moment, so he just looked up at Dean, who was standing right in front of him, and found out he was looking down at him as well, with that same look that was a mixture of lust and… affection? He wasn’t sure.

“You looked like you needed it” He answered, with a hot, low voice, and Castiel finally remembered what was wrong in that whole picture.

 _You're so selfish_ he thought, as he looked at Dean bulge in his jeans. He immediately put his hands on Dean’s belt, hoping he wouldn’t make a fool of himself any longer.

He felt Dean’s firm hand on his own a second later, blocking them.

“I don’t want you to feel like you _have_ to.” He said with a restraining voice, obviously trying really hard not give in.

Castiel almost slapped himself for giving that impression. Of course he wanted to, but he probably looked so terrified because he was a stupid incompetent in the matter, and he was about to panic for wanting to do this in the right way.

He kicked away his boxers and trousers and stood up, pulling Dean in for a kiss, hoping it would be answer enough. He then undid Dean’s belt with one hand, as the other was still holding Dean’s face, and he deepened the kiss even more. Distracting Dean with his kisses, he turned him around and made him sit at the edge of the couch, pulling down his pants, his fingers trembling as he heard Dean’s muffled moan.

He then knelt in front of him, and that action only received another moan of appreciation: Dean was now looking down at him with his eyes filled with lust, and Castiel decided to quickly leave a trail of kisses on Dean’s torso, until he reached his pelvis area. Dean’s cock was hard and throbbing, and it didn’t take long before Castiel finally gave it a lick along its length, and then took it in his mouth. He heard Dean sighing a  “Fuck yeah”, and after he sucked the head, he decided to try to go further down, slowly. He soon felt a strong firm hand holding his head, passing through his hair, and that made him increase the speed at which he was sucking.

He was now moving up and down, unable to reach the base, but still making a pretty decent job, and Dean seemed to agree, because his hand never left as he made multiple appreciations. Castiel never thought he would have enjoyed that position that much, but as he heard Dean saying “Fuck Cas, just like that” he understood that the memory of the moment was going to get him off for years in the future. The magic ended when Dean finally said “Cas, I’m…” and Castiel quickly pulled off.

He didn’t even have the time to think about it, he just reacted instinctively, but at least he stroke Dean with his hand through his orgasm. He heard his moans and growls, and for a second he thought he was going to fall in love real easily, should this happen again. Now Dean was shamelessly spread on the couch, his head resting on the pillow, his eyes closed and come all over his stomach. There were some drops of sweat on his forehead and Castiel took a good look at the sight before his eyes, because he knew he was never going to see anything sexier. Then he repaid the favor, cleaning Dean and leaving small kisses on his chest. It felt natural to do so, and apparently Dean didn’t mind, because he pulled him in for another kiss, this time sweeter and more chaste.

“Thank you for the best orgasm I’ve had in ages” he murmured on his lips.

“But I didn’t even…” but Dean interrupted him with a kiss.

“It was perfect.”

Castiel decided he wasn’t going to argue that anymore, so he sat next to Dean and rest his head against his chest, as the other put his arm over his shoulders.

Castiel was overwhelmed by Dean’s embrace and strong odor, and for a second he thought that all his life nothing has ever felt better than this. Not with his ex-boyfriends, for sure. He knew those were dangerous thoughts, but he couldn’t address what he was feeling in any other way.  
“Thank you” He blurted out at some point, and he felt Dean’s arm tighten more around him. They stayed like that a few more minutes, trying to hold on to the moment as long as possible, but then Dean stood up, got dressed and kissed him goodnight before leaving. Castiel was still speechless, and he wished with all his heart Dean would want to see him again in the next few days.  

  
  


 

Rome, 20th August, 2016

Dean had surprisingly finished Sam’s plan by the end of the week: obviously he couldn’t say he got to see all of Rome, but he had seen enough to get the idea. The Colosseum, Pantheon,  Fori imperiali, Altare della Patria.. He had some outdoor places to go left, but he didn’t feel like taking buses, he had learned not to trust public transport that much. This holiday had to be both touristic and a vacation anyway, and even Sam agreed with him that the time had come to finally relax and enjoy the weather.

As regards Castiel, he hadn’t talked to him after that night: like, at all.

The guy had tried to text him once, but he didn’t answer. He almost did, a lot of times, but in the end his willpower won, for his own good. He couldn’t risk getting that close to the boy again, not after what he felt that night: what he thought would be a night of fun had quickly turned into something else, something he was afraid to understand. Kissing Castiel and watching him fall into pieces under his touch made him feel something new: it made him feel like his purpose in life was to care for that young man, like he was the only one who could do that. And when Castiel reciprocated, the passion and the lust and the want and the eagerness that was in the air almost suffocated him.

It was the most beautiful night he had ever lived, and that was why he couldn’t afford talking to Castiel again: he just couldn’t, otherwise his doubts would be proven true. Otherwise he would have the prove that the key to happiness existed, and he would have to live the rest of his life knowing exactly where to find it, without being able to reach it.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> ("Cazzo" means literally "Dick" but we use it as "Fuck")  
> Now the real angst is going to be in the last chapters, but the story is going to be much bigger, I planned it all in my head and I hope I have enough energy to write it down: both Castiel and Dean have issues that can't be dealt with in a few days.  
> Still, in the next chapter there's going to be more of Dean's Pov.  
> I'm so sorry I'm not trustworthy with updates, but I hope you were able to enjoy the story anyway.  
> As always, let me know what you think and if you've found terrible mistakes, please let me know so I can improve.


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